Ice, Sand, Akatsuki, Feathers, and Snakes
by MezmorizeHypno
Summary: Moka and Ryko are both wanted ninja, so when they become Genin of Konoha, there's bound to be trouble. Especially when one has the attention of a demon and the Akatsuki, and the other is targeted by Orochimaru. Both with horrific backgrounds, how will their new friends react when they know the truth? And will Moka and Ryko find loyalty for the Leaf Village? Read and find out!


She blinked wearily, her vision clouding as her consciousness slowly returned to her foggy mind. The girl's eyes brightened then dulled to their normal darkness, only mere shapes and shadows making themselves identifiable. The light wind danced around her, whispering secrets that no one else would ever hear. She whistled, sharp and direct, then waited, pushing herself to her feet. Her legs nearly collapsed from beneath her. _I must have been out for quite awhile. _She thought, studying her surroundings with her limited eyesight.

Her eyes only allowed her to see a person's aura, and feelings which came in handy quite a bit, but was nothing like actually being able to take in the sights. Unless a living creature was nearby her scope of the surroundings was completely black. That also meant that her other four senses were quite enhanced, beyond normal.

She bounced from toe to toe impatiently, no sign of her friend's heat signature anywhere. In her spare time she quickly took inventory of her injuries. The palm of her left hand stung with a deep gash as it patted at her clothing. She flinched, holding it out in front of her.

_Oh yeah...forgot about that. _

A slight 'whoosh' made her look up and she saw the familiar, faint gold that stretched out in the wings and body of an owl, while the friendly deep red of a wolf followed its flight on the ground.

Trailing behind, a pulsing blue glow radiated in the desert, and she breathed a sigh of relief. They were all okay. Thank goodness.

She met them halfway across the sand and the owl swooped down, perching comfortably on her shoulder.

"Moka! How'd it go?" She asked, clasping her friend's hands, just to be sure she was actually there.

"Good," She said softly. "I befriended him and I think I got through."

"How'd he react when you had to leave?"  
Moka paused, her lips pursing around the senbon that she often chewed on to help herself concentrate. "I left a note."

"Hopefully there won't be any hard feelings. So whose next?"

"The Leaf Village. It's a two-day travel from here if we hurry," She hesitated. "Ryko, I really liked him."

Ryko faltered, fixing her gaze on the ground. Moka didn't talk much, unless it was something important, or a slip of information she had about the mission. She would crack a few jokes every now and then, but that was it. She kept her emotions bottled up, not showing any weakness in case an enemy was nearby. Moka was always on her guard, saying she liked this boy...he must have been special.

Turning away, Ryko said, "You'll get the chance to see him again. Until then, we have to continue with the mission."

"I know." Moka's eyes cast downward, focusing on the sand. It reminded her of him, the scalding grains of gold that filtered through your fingers. "We should go."

Abruptly, Moka took off in the direction of the Leaf Village, soon followed by Ryko, the wolf sprinting alongside her owner, and the owl stayed overhead, its shadow cast just in front of them.

Temari and Kankuro sat at the kitchen table alone, discussing the change in their younger brother's attitude. It was amazing! Gaara had gone from threatening to kill them, to actually wishing them good luck! Though, it had been a bit awkward, Gaara had said it.

What they wanted to know was, what had sparked this sudden change in the red-head?

"Well, what do you think did that to Gaara?" Temari asked quietly, glancing around in case someone was eavesdropping.

"I don't know, but there's only one possibility," Kankuro said, ducking his head down closer to his sister's as he lowered his voice, "Gaara met somebody."

"What would make you think that?"

"Well, he's gone a lot, more than usual, he's acting differently, and yesterday I saw him fussing over his hair! He hasn't killed in two weeks and he was wearing a necklace! I couldn't see what it was, but he was wearing one."

Temari growled. "And you didn't mention any of this before because?"

"I wanted to see how long it would take for you to start worrying."

She punched his shoulder, making him wince as he rubbed the sore spot. "Geez, you don't have to be so violent."

"It's the only way you learn."

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "So what are we gonna do about Gaara's girlfriend?"

"Who said his friend was a girl?"

He looked at her like, 'are you crazy?' "Really? No guy could impact our little brother like this, only a girl."

"And how would you know?"

"Because I happen to be a man myself."

Temari snorted. "You sure don't act like one."

The puppet master opened his mouth to retort, when Gaara entered the room, silencing the siblings as he made his way to the door.

"Where are you going Gaara?" Kankuro asked curiously.

"I am going out. I will be back shortly. Don't worry." The Shukaku host slipped out of the house.

Gaara's trip through the Sand Village was filled with the common hateful glares, along with fear as people hurried past him, creating a wide gap so no one would have to get too close.

For the past month or so, Gaara hadn't been as bothered by the civilians reactions towards him. All that he focused on was the image of the girl who made it all better. The girl who liked him for who he was, and didn't hate him for what he held.

When he saw these families shunning him and avoiding him, he thought about how when she was by his side, how she would defend him or console him without even considering the damage hanging out with him could do to her reputation.

She didn't care.

Smothering a smile he approached her apartment building and he practically vaulted up the staircase to her door and he knocked, quietly counting off the seconds in his head.

When he reached a full minute he frowned and turned the knob, pushing open the door to reveal a completely empty room, devoid of any personal belongings, except for a single sheet of paper lying on the coffee table.

Picking it up, he scanned the contents, all his previous happiness vanishing.

_Dear Gaara,_

_I am so sorry, but something has come up and I have to evacuate the Sand Village. You were a very good friend and I saw a significant change in you when you experienced having a friend for the first time in a long time. Don't let your sadness, loneliness, and anger take over again. I will see you again, I promise. I AM NOT ABANDONING YOU. _

_Love,_

_Moka_

Gaara's fist tightened around the note, crumpling it into a ball as his turquoise eyes darkened. How was he going to get over her leaving, she had been his only friend. Somehow, she had been able to calm even Shukaku, quenching the urge for blood residing inside him.

He glanced down, fingering the chain that he wore. She had given it to him on his birthday; it was a thick silver medallion that she had molded, created, and painted herself. It was in the shape of a heart, which was decorated with the yin yang symbol, while Gaara's name was etched through the middle line in flawless calligraphy.

He didn't care what happened, he had promised her to always wear this, to show that they were friends, and she had told him it would be his good luck charm.

The weird thing was that he believed her...trusted her...loved her...this revelation made his head snap up.

No! Love only got you hurt! He couldn't love her! He wouldn't let himself go through that again...

**That was the first chapter, hope you liked it. I bet you've figured it out, it's MokaxGaara and RykoxYou'llHaveToWaitAndSee. :-P I'm just a jerk like that. R&R! Until I get five reviews at least, I'm not updating. (This is also a ploy to give myself more time to finish a chapter.) Muahaha. Yes, I'm evil, diabolical, and everything in between. **

**Love ya! ;-)**


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